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Indicted Glynn County clerk of court bookkeeper surrenders to sheriff

Larry O. Morten, former bookkeeper for the Glynn County Clerk of Superior Court, shakes hands with Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Lawrence Kelly, right, after he surrendered Saturday morning to Sheriff Neal Jump, left. Morten was indicted Thursday on 70 counts of theft from the clerk’s office. (Terry Dickson/Florida Times-Union)

Larry O. Morten, former bookkeeper for the Glynn County Clerk of Superior Court, talks with Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Lawrence Kelly, right, after he surrendered Saturday morning to Sheriff Neal Jump, left. Morten was indicted Thursday on 70 counts of theft from the clerk’s office. (Terry Dickson/Florida Times-Union)

Glynn County Sheriff Neal Jump, left, talks with Larry O. Morten, the former bookkeeper of the county clerk of Superior Court, as he escorted him into the county jail. Morton was indicted Thursday on 70 counts of theft by taking of court funds and surrendered Saturday morning. (Terry Dickson/Florida Times-Union)

BRUNSWICK, GA. | The indicted former bookkeeper of the Glynn County Superior Court clerk surrendered to Sheriff Neal Jump Saturday morning in front of the county jail where he was arrested and booked.

Larry O. Morten III, who is indicted on 70 counts of theft by the taking of court funds, drove up alone about 10:30 a.m. and was met at his car by Jump and Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Lawrence Kelly. Morten appeared to apologize for being late as he shook hands with Jump and Kelly.

Jump had the 35-year-old Morten take off his belt, empty his pockets and then patted him down before escorting him to the side of the jail where those arrested are booked.

Jail records show that a bail of $120,058, which includes fees, has been set for his release. Special prosecutor Charles A. “Chuck” Spahos agreed to the amount of the bail, officials said.

Kelly was listed as a witness Thursday when Spahos, of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, presented evidence to the grand jury that returned the indictment the same day.

Morton is accused to taking $76,008.75 from court accounts, mostly the Child Suppport Receiver account, between October 2008 and November 2014. The date of the first theft charge was just two months after Morton went to work in the office, according to a comparison of county records and the indictment.

Darren Jones discovered that money was missing from the court in late 2014 shortly after his mother Lola Jamsky, who was clerk at the time, appointed him her chief deputy clerk. Morton was fired in January 2015 for misappropriation of funds and since that time the court were subjected to a forensic audit that is ongoing.

The county said last year that more than $763,000 is missing, but the final audit report is not complete.

Jamsky retired in 2015 and appointed Jones as her replacement. Ronald Adams defeated Jones and several other candidates in the 2016 election for clerk of court.

Terry Dickson: (912) 264-0405

Indicted Glynn County clerk of court bookkeeper surrenders to sheriff- By